I have a dog with luxating patella. He has seen his vet a few months ago about it and was given a NSAID (cartophen) which cost us $500 total.

I want to take him to see a specialist because I feel he is getting worse and honestly the way i see it, if its gonna cost me 500 every few months, Id rather just see a specialist right away. How would I go about doing this?

I've tried googling with no luck. Would i have to get a referral from his vet like with human doctors?

If you know of any specialists near the coquitlam area please let me know.

Do you mean the disease modifying osteoarthritis drug (DMOAD) Cartrophen Vet? Cartrophen is not an NSAID, and most certainly should not cost any where near $500, unless you are including exams, bloodwork, xrays, vet boarding costs and the injection in that price. The follow up appointments for Cartrophen injections would just cost for exam & the injection.

Several years ago an exam, bloodwork & Cartrophen injection cost me under $190.

I've heard good things about teaching hospitals, but unfortunately, the nearest one is two provinces away in Saskatchewan, unless im wrong. so i guess its vet time for a referral.

growler you are totally right. it is cartophen vet. but the medicine alone i believe cost about 350 bucks, for a total of 4 injections every week. I believe at our current vet, a blood work cost me about 110, physical exam is 35-50, and xrays are 120. I guess I never thought my vet was over charging or anything.

I also think that is quite high for the injections. I would discuss the situation with your vet and ask about a referral, most vets are quite cooperative in situations where surgery is probably needed.

Are you giving any other NSAIDs? Cartrophen is often used with those drugs as they work in very different ways. What about supplements like glucosamine and/or msm? Did the vet indicate the degree of the injury? What type of dog do you have and how old is it?

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I also think that is quite high for the injections. I would discuss the situation with your vet and ask about a referral, most vets are quite cooperative in situations where surgery is probably needed.

Are you giving any other NSAIDs? Cartrophen is often used with those drugs as they work in very different ways. What about supplements like glucosamine and/or msm? Did the vet indicate the degree of the injury? What type of dog do you have and how old is it?

he is a pomeranian, a little over one year old and is very active. his vet didnt say which grade it was but he said he doesn't need surgery. i dont want to get off topic but i have a feeling the injury might have come from the high intensity running/play he does at the park.

so far he was only given cartophen. we havnt given him any supplements yet but im going to buy some tomorrow. we "tried" sasha's blend and it gave him bloody diarrhea so we threw out the samples, and i found out about the whole shark cartilage thing... what do you guys recommend? Ive been doing lots of reading on the net and it worries me that most brands don't even near the amount of active ingredients they specify on the labels.

ive also asked around about dasequin, it seems vets in my area dont carry it.

Just as with humans, your regular vet should make the referral to an ortho for you. Our vet made the referrals to neuros for our previous dogs - and should our Eskimo have a need to see a specialist, she will make the referral. I am constantly on watch in case those long legs of his should start to show signs of Patellar Luxation or ACL - that would mean the ortho - or back problems - that would mean the neuro (I used to have mini Dachshunds - I know all about back problems). So far so good. I hope things work out for you. Costs vary widely depending on your location. An exam at my vet's Toronto clinic costs about $75.00. Dachshund disc surgery (full body) - used to cost around $6,000 - now we are looking at about $8,000 - and this would include only 4 nights hospitalization. The specialized X-Rays are very expensive - and included in the cost - or they were. The ortho might take the X-Ray and then tell you that your pup does not need surgery - and I expect said X-Ray to cost more than $500 - but maybe less than $1,000 - and then you would go from there.